What: Creative Technology Ltd., the worldwide leader in digital entertainment products for PC users, today announced the limited edition Sound Blaster Audigy 4 Pro sound card. The ideal holiday gift for the most discerning amateur musician, PC gamer or audiophile, the Sound Blaster Audigy 4 Pro features 113db SNR Digital to Analog Converters (DACs) for superior 24-bit ADVANCED HD audio - the highest signal-to-noise ratio of any consumer sound card. The all-new Entertainment Center software transforms the PC into a home entertainment center with easy navigation and playback for digital music, pictures and movies, with the convenience of a remote control.
"Of the tens of millions of digital entertainment enthusiasts who stand by the Sound Blaster brand, there is a select group that insists on having the absolute best sound card available, with the ultimate feature set; a sound card that they can brag to their friends about. The Sound Blaster Audigy 4 Pro provides truly unprecedented performance, so for those who want the ?best of the best' we made a limited edition sound card," said Mala Sharma, director of product marketing for Creative Labs, Inc.

Priced at US$299.99, the Sound Blaster Audigy 4 Pro delivers exceptional performance for music creation, music listening, movies and games:

The Sound Blaster Audigy 4 Pro features an external I/O hub with studio quality I/O and advanced connectivity. It includes analog stereo connectors for six-channel input, optical and coaxial digital I/O, full-sized MIDI I/O, microphone with gain control, headphone and volume control and two 1394 FireWire ports. Musicians can create professional quality recordings with low latency ASIO 2.0 support, SoundFont? support and high quality audio hardware. Music and audio samples can be recorded with 24-bit/96kHz A/D converters for amazingly clean and accurate recordings.

Music Listening

Digital audio sounds best on Sound Blaster with 24-bit ADVANCED HD quality and 113dbSNR from 24-bit/192kHz DACs and studio-quality EAX ADVANCED HD music settings. For pristine audio clarity and depth, the Sound Blaster Audigy 4 Pro also supports Advanced Resolution DVD-Audio playback in 24-bit/192kHZ stereo and 24-bit/96kHz in 5.1 surround sound. Music listeners can also utilize patented CMSS 3D audio technology to convert stereo content into 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound and even experience virtual surround sound on headphones. The included EAX Music Console provides acoustic enhancements such as Bass Boost, Karaoke, a multi-band graphics equalizer, and Smart Volume Management that matches volume levels across different tracks.

Thief -Deadly Shadows with full EAX 4.0 ADVANCED HD support and Hitman: Contracts with full EAX 3.0 ADVANCED HD support are included with the Sound Blaster Audigy 4 Pro - more than an $80 value. With EAX supported games, EAX ADVANCED HD effects produce life-like sounds as multiple audio effects are processed in real time. There are more than 100 games that support EAX 2.0; 30 games that support EAX 3.0 ADVANCED HD and already 10 games that support the new EAX 4.0 ADVANCED HD. For all DirectSound 3D games, EAX can be experienced in 5.1 with rear surround or 7.1 with rear and side surround sound.

When: The Sound Blaster Audigy 4 Pro is slated for November shipment to all retail outlets in Asia at an estimated street price of US$299.99.